Attack on TitanSnk: Conspiracy
by PatrioticMandalorian
Summary: Spoilers for Manga and Show Two years after re recapturing of Wall Rose, a conspiracy involving a Cult with far reaching influence ingulfs humanity as it fights to reclaim all of Paradis from the Titans. Eremika story.
1. Chapter 1

**Spoilers for the Manga/Comics.**

 **Hello one and all, to the Attack on Titan Fanfic known as "Conspiracy". This will take place 2-3 years after the last time we saw Eren and the Group, so everyone is now 17 or 18. This will be EreMika, and will have lots of twists and turns. The first scene is a flash forward. Here's the sit wrap on the titans: the titans and being pushed back, but are still a back, and enjoy. Thank you for choosing my story!**

"Shit! Too much blood! We can't stop it!" The first voice rang out to him as he lay there, soaking in a pool of his own blood.

"Stay with me damnit!" A second, more frantic voice rang out. But they were all so distant… like a memory, floating away every second. He couldn't help but let his eyes droop, feeling his strength fade

'Is this it? Is this how I die?' He says mentally to himself, his heart pounding, causing more blood to gush from his grievous wound.

The last thing he felt at that moment, was something press against his lips. Something soft, and warm…he thought as his consciousness faded away, and felt everything go dark and silent

 _Four days ago_

Connie Springer and Eren Jaeger swept the dusty, dirt covered floor of the castles main hall. Eren could still feel the heat from the bruise under his eye. While his titan abilities could heal his wounds, it would still take time, and this one was real recent. Another fight with Jean had ended in violence, and poor Connie had decided to try and step in between the two, only making it worse. "Hey…" Connie's voice broke the awkward silence, as he turnt to face Eren "you ever wonder why we're even resettling these damn things? I mean, they're obsolete at this point. To old and falling apart" Connie sighed as he finished the last part of his sentence, looking above at the ceiling, the stone covered with moss that had been there for ages, patiently waiting the day it would be removed from it's current perch on the stone. Eren shrugged at Connie's question.

"I'm not sure. Could be because we're lacking the stone needed to build one of these monoliths, maybe it's just one of those 'it ain't broke, so we're gunna use it til it is' things" Eren wiped his forehead. They had been cleaning the ancient castle for nearly 3 hours now. It was coming along, but after this, they still had 2 more rooms to go: the male barracks and the male bathroom. Eren grumbled as he realized this, shaking his head. Connie looked at him, hesitantly, before asking "What was that Jean fight all about?"

"Something he said."

"Don't be like that Eren. What was the fight really about?"

"Look, this is going to sound stupid but…he made a comment about Mikasa. I don't know… it wasn't a compliment, either. It just…pissed me off. So, I said so. He got angry and we began throwing down" Eren responded, finishing his side of the hall. He looked up at the moss, knowing they would need their gear to get up there. Connie remained silent. "Come on Connie, lets go get our gear."

So, they set out to go grab their gear.

Meanwhile, Sasha and Jean were cleaning the storage area, dusting and sweeping. Jean's jaw still hurt from where Eren had cracked him. He was enraged just thinking about it. Sasha look at him as she heard his angry grumbling, and, unaware of the fight, asked him "Jean, what's with the anger? It's just cleaning" Jean looked back at her, his eyes filled with a bit of rage "it's that man child Eren!" He shouted, angrily

"Why can't you two quit fighting? It's tough on morale" Sasha replied, a little scared at Jeans sudden anger.

"Because he's an overgrown child!"

Sasha remained silent, not wanting to anger Jean even further, out of fear for her well being. Jean turnt back to his duties, still boiling in anger. His thoughts didn't leave him until they had finished his duties of cleaning the storage area, and he could take a break. He took off his mask and apron, jogging towards the mess hall, where they had set up until the rest of the rooms were finished. As he did, he saw Eren and Connie walking towards the storage hall. He fought the urge to sucker punch Eren, and continued jogging. Eren never even turnt to face him. He arrived at the mess hall with no further contact.

At the same time, Mikasa and a particularly quiet Armin dusted up the armory. It was a simple and fast task, but Armin just had to hope that Mikasa didn't ask him what he knew about the fight: cause then, he'd have to choose between an angry Mikasa or an angry Jean. If he didn't tell her, he would anger her, and if he did, he'd piss off Jean. So, he kept his mouth shut. The silence filled the room for the next few moments, before a loud crash from the door interrupted the process. It swung open, and both turnt to see a new recruit, a young lad by the name of Max Lewis, a short, ginger boy with piercing hazel eyes, sweating and breathing heavily "d-d-does anyone know where Eren Jaeger is? Commander Pixis has sent for him." He stuttered between deep breaths. Armin and Mikasa looked at each other, neither knowing

"Last I checked, he was cleaning the Main Hall" Armin responded after a moments hesitation, but that was good enough for Max. He took off down the corridor, heading for the main hall.

"Speaking of Eren…" Mikasa began, looking at Armin "I heard he got in a fight. With Jean. Again. What was it about?" She asked even toned. Armin gulped nervously: this was the moment he had feared.

Max sprinted down the hallway, as fast as he could, arriving in the main hall. Looking around frantically, he found no signs of Connie or Eren. "Damnit!" He shouted in frustration, knowing he'd need to sprint some more.

"What?" A voice came from above, and as he looked up, he saw Eren suspended from the ceiling by his 3DMG, looking down at him with a curious expression

"Eren Jaeger?"

"Yes, that's me"

"My names Max Lewis, and I was sent by Commander Pixis. He wants to meet with you ASAP"

"Could you tell him I'm a bit busy at the moment?"

"He insisted it was quite imp-"

"Tell him I'll meet him when I'm done"

With a sigh of frustration, Max humbled off, towards the exit to the large castle that would now serve as a Scouting Corp base. He mounted his horse, and began his ride to Wall Sina to return to Commander Pixis.

As he did, two figures met atop wall Rose, newly patched up and fixed. One was tall and muscular, with a barrel chest and broad shoulders, evidentially a man. He spoke with someone much shorter and petite than him, evidentially a female

"How much longer?" The female spoke in a quiet tone

"Not long. Maybe a week?"

"That's too soon. By then, they'll have relocated again. We most likely only have days."

"Even then, how do we subdue the target?"

The female extracted a small syringe from her coat. It was filled with a cloudy, misty pink liquid. "With this"

"How did you get that? And anyone, what the hell is it?"

"Supposedly, it's a counter active drug used to subdue aggression. With some experimentation, our scientists have modified it to be able to suppress…" she trailed off, for plot reasons. But the man understood.

"I see. Well, how are we supposed to inject it?"

"You'll see." She responded, turning to look at the rolling forests and fields beyond the wall "you'll see."


	2. Chapter 2

Eren strolled towards Commander Pixis's office, intrigued but what Max had said. 'Why would Pixis, Commander of the Garrison, want to see me, a scout'. He continued to walk in silence, wondering if it was possible he was in some sort of legal trouble. He doubted it, but it wasn't impossible. He sighed as he climbed the stairs to the doorway, knocking on it. One of Pixis's aides answered it, with a pleasant smile. "Eren Jaeger or the Scouting Legion?"

"Yes, that's me"

"The Commander is in his office, 2nd door to the left."

"Thank you." Eren said, entering the Garrison headquarters. It was nice, and very well kept. He walked down the corridor to the left, and, sure enough, came upon the open door to Pixis's office. He saluted in the doorway, before announcing "Sir, Eren Jaeger, Survey Corp, Levi Squad, reporting.". Pixis turnt from his position to greet Eren, noticing his salute.

"At ease, Jaeger. Take a seat." Eren obliged, sitting in the seat set up across from Pixis. Pixis's eyes bore into him, studying his every move. "Now, you are most likely asking yourself why you're here. Well, no, you are NOT in trouble. I'm here to look after you, for the sake of humanity. It has come to my attention that a secret cult of humans came into being after it was revealed that Titans were humans turnt by the marrow elixir. This cult has the deranged idea that humanities destiny is to sacrifice itself, and either be eaten by titans, or become them. This notion has led to the 'Cult of Rebirth'. It has come to my attention they are seeking out titan shifters to sacrifice to their strongest member, so they may rule over the titans after 'rebirth'. Now, you're the only titan shifter known publicly. Very few know Armin now posses the Colossal Titan. So, the most likely scenario is that they will try to contact you at some point. Do not give them what they want." Pixis finished his brief, his hands folded in front of his mouth, eyes stuck on Eren. Eren could feel cold sweat bead his forehead as he began a question

"But sir, why are we worried? We're expertly trained military men, and they're just civilians." He said, more hopefully than anything, his mind running wild with all the foreseeable outcomes: all of which ended in his success. At least, that's what he saw and hoped for.

"We are hopeful that that is the case: but we have suspicion that they have sent members to infiltrate all forms of our military, to form their own armies in all the walls, so they may kidnap and move the titan shifter to any and all wall areas. The most prominent presence they have, or so we believe, is in Wall Rose, closest to the Titans main territory. If they are able to turn enough people in to titans, we could be facing another situation such as the one nearly 6 years ago."

Eren shuddered at the thought. His mind screamed that this was fake, just baseless conspiracy, but part of him said that it was too real not to be a conspiracy. Pixis leaned in, unfolding his hands "oh, and one more thing: we have reason to believe that they may know of your history and aspirations: they may try to tug at your heartstrings, but don't let them Jaeger. You're a damn good soldier, and we can't afford to lose you." Eren smiled at hearing this. Pixis walked with him to his horse, in a silence that wasn't awkward, but almost seemed friendly.

Meanwhile, Mikasa glared at Jean from across the mess hall, sitting next to Armin. Jean sat with some of the newer recruits, but didn't interact with any of them. Connie and Sasha sat together at the end of the bench of the table with Mikasa and Armin, but didn't speak with them. Levi sat by Hange, not intentionally, but, even if he wouldn't admit it, he enjoyed her company. 'Oh man' Jean noticed Mikasa's stare, and, realized Armin must've told her about that comment he had dropped. 'The son of a bitch is dead' he said mentally, starring down Armin, who avoided eye contact. One of the recruits, a girl by the name of Hope Miller, noticed Jeans intense stare. Having no concept of the situation at all, she decided to ask Jean why he was starring at Armin so intensely. He shrugged it off, surprisingly, and said "no, it's nothing. He just owes me, that's all." Hope could easily tell that was a lie, but decided to ignore it, and to not push her luck. She glanced at Levi and Hange, who were deep in conversation, then at Sasha and Connie, who were giggling about something. Connie had a happy go lucky look in his eyes, and Hope could easily tell he felt attracted to Sasha. She shrugged it off however: it was not like she was attracted to either of them. She ran her fingers through her braided brown hair, deciding it best to ignore all of the drama and excused herself to go to the restroom. Instead, she wandered the castle, exploring all of the rooms. Starting with the great hall, which contained two large tables, running the length of the hall itself. The hall had two what appeared to be thrones, most likely for the Count and his wife that once ruled over the establishment, at the end. Levi made it clear this room would be for important meetings between leaders and legions. Next was the armory: a simple rectangular room filled with lockers and weapon racks contains the Thunder Spears and Blades for the 3DMG. A few muskets and cannons were locked away in the large, square closet at the back of the room. The storage closet contained misc. stuff, including brooms, spare furniture, fire wood, spare mantles and jackets, and a few sets of boots. The last room she explored was the was the makeshift lab. A simple basement room that had been completely cleaned and renovated, with specimens of animals and even a few of the marrow syringes stored away in steel containers that weee only accessed by keys that Levi, Hange and the reasearch corp members at the castle carried. In her adventure, she found nothing new, just the standard rooms. She sighed, and returned, only to find Jean and Connie at each other's throat, with Armin on the ground behind Connie, Mikasa hovering over him, looking over his nose and face. Connie threw a quick jab into Jeans rib, which did little to stop Jean from his onslaught of haymakers, most going wild or being dodged. But Connie couldn't end the fight with those puny punches he was throwing. At this rate, the fight would never end.

 **Whack!**

Jean doubled over in pain, dropping to his knees and holding his stomach. Levi stood over him, an unamused look on his face

"Tsk tsk tsk." He said, shaking his head. "Now then Brat, are you done throwing your temper tantrum?" He asked even toned, which slightly scared Hope. 'How could he be so calm with his own squad fighting each other?' Hope thought, a chill running down her spine 'is this normal?'. Levi turnt back to his table, walking back like nothing happened "Now, pick yourself up and remove yourself. Or do I need to forcefully drag your hopeless ass across the floor and out of the hall?" With no hesitation, Jean began to stand, slowly dragging himself towards the door. Connie gulped, not expecting to be let off by Levi. He was incorrect: Levi made no comment towards Connie. He stood around, and, when Mikasa and Armin exited the mess hall to go clean up Armin's bloody nose and lip, he returned to his seat with Sasha, a relieved expression on his face. 'Phew. That was close' he thought to himself, and he returned to his talk with Sasha, enjoying every moment of it.

Jean lay in his bunk, starring at the ceiling in enraged thought. 'This is all Eren's fault! Every bit of it! From the fights, to the comments to taking her from me.' Ever since the legs decline in titan danger (though there was still a high amount of lethality and danger, it was drastically decreased after two years of a lack of new titan arrivals, courtesy of the guard stationed at the port) Eren and Jean had fought constantly. Jean blamed Eren for everything, and Eren blamed Jean for everything. The main issue Jean had was that he believed that Eren had stole Mikasa from him: that Mikasa should be attracted to him, but that Eren was the real issue between their 'love'. 'And then there's that midget!' His face turnt red as he recalled the many times Levi had handed him his ass on a silver platter, ending fights with a swift kick to one combatant, and an elbow or head butt to the other. His rage only grew when he noticed the way Levi seemed to ignore Connie to go straight for him. 'And Connie, oh my lord Connie'. Connie had become great friends with Eren and them over the years, often being in the same details as Eren. Cleaning, training, sparring, repairs. It was always Eren and Connie, which meant Connie always sided with Eren. 'And I got stuck with goddamned Potato chick'. Sasha was always with him, and she was unbearably stupid. Her obliviousness and gluttony made doing his duties with her nearly impossible. He felt like offing himself whenever he listened to her voice. 'And the goddamn new recruits.' They were so oblivious, and could only see the short term, not understanding a single thing about him. Hell, they could barely understand the burden of being a Scout, let alone personal fighting and burdens. He felt his blood boil in frustration. He decided that he would get them all back, somehow, someway. As he felt himself begin to drift he smiled a small smile. 'Yeah…I'll show them…' he thought, as his eyes closed and he drifted to sleep.

 _End of day 1_


	3. Chapter 3

Mikasa awoke suddenly, with a jump. Cold sweat beaded her forehead, and her head felt like it was going to split open. She rolled off her bed, standing up straight and wiping her forehead clear with the back of her hand, and walking toward the exit to the female barracks. She exited, and made a beeline for the armory. She arrived, only to find Connie exiting. He looked tired and beaten, as if he hadn't gotten any sleep. They passed each other in silence, with not a single word being exchanged. She entered the armory to find herself alone, and quickly slipped out of her pajamas, in favor of the uniform she donned. As she finished putting on the jacket, she heard the door creak open. In walked Armin, already in uniform. 'Must've been on watch' she thought, as Armin sat on the bench to take off his 3DMG. "Morning Mikasa" he said in as cheery a voice he could.

"Good morning. Bad night?" She asked, even toned. As she did, her thoughts feel upon last night: what had made her wake up so suddenly? Evidently it was six AM, as watch was being changed. Connie must've been going on watch now, with Armin coming in. That meant a new recruit ould be coming in now, for someone else to change watch. Armin had said something, but she missed it, pondering why she was up so early, with no one waking her up. As she did, one of the recruits walked in: it was Hope, with the same tired expression Armin had. She sat next to Mikasa as she took off the 3DMG. "Armin, did you get the next watch up?"

"Huh? Yeah." He said, rubbing both his eyes with his palms. "He just doesn't get up easily." As he said this, the door opened slowly, and in walked Eren. He looked like crap.. He sat down at the end of the bench with no words: he had clearly had a long ride back. "Rough for him" Armin whispered to Mikasa. "He got back two hours ago, from Wall Sina." She raised an eyebrow, curious. "I don't know why, but he was meeting with Pixis, apparently." Mikasa pulled out her 3DMG: may as well make herself useful and head on watch. She stood up, and exited the Armory, waiting outside. She pulled her scarf over her nose: something she had often done when she was in thought. She tried to remember last night: slowly, it came to her. She had had a night terror. She found that strange: she hadn't had one since she was little: since she had first went to live with the Jaegers. She smiled under her scarf as the door opened again, and Eren walked out: his eyes had deep bags under them, and he looked like it was a fight to keep them open. He looked surprised when he saw her. "Mikasa? I thought today I was on solo watch?"

"I woke up early." She said, lowering the scarf. She kept her face in a neutral position, and looked at him in his eyes: a sharp contrast to her dark eyes, which were alive and energetic now that she was fully awake, his were bright but tired, a sharp contrast to what they normally were. The fire was burning on fumes. "You should go back to sleep. I'll cover for you." She said, softly. He smiled: it was a nice offer but…

"No."

"What?" She was surprised. "You only got two hours of sleep! You can't be-"

"It's my duty as a soldier. I cannot shirk my duties Mikasa. Your very sweet to make the offer, but no." He almost never complimented or called her sweet: he must've really been tired. She crossed her arms, and stood in front of him, a determined look in her eye. But then she saw his: they were filled with confidence and determination as well, as if the fire had been lit again. She sighed in frustration, before giving in. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"That's fine. It's not your duty-"

"I'm coming to Eren."

"Alright." He smiled tiredly. "Let's go."

Hange yelled as the scientist reported what had been stolen: the one of a kind serum they had: well, one of the one of a kinds. This one was referred to as "Mist". It was a pinkish liquid they had developed from a titans brain: it had been a hell of a task to get it, but they succeeded after a few years of trying. Their goal was to use it to stop 13 year affect on Eren, and then harvest another for Armin. Well, the hypothesis was that it could stop the 13 year affect. No one knew for sure, but it was worth a shot. But now it was gone: completely gone: the syringe and all. She put her hand over her glasses as she thought. Only a few researchers were at the base: herself, the man in front of her, Gwen and Benjamin. It had to be one of them. She looked up at Greg, the man in front of her. He looked just as distraught and confused as her: she ruled him out, as he was the first person down and was the most surprised, in fact, probably more so than herself. Gwen wasn't up yet, nor was Ben. It had to be one of them. 'They stole it at night, and put it god knows where.' She reasoned, as she turned towards the stairs. She looked back to Greg, and said 3 simple words: "Tell no one." The other researcher looked bewildered, then she explained: "if only we know, then the culprit will expose themselves by proving they know about its disappearance." He nodded in agreement, and walked with her to the mess hall for breakfast: empty, except for Levi, who idly sat alone, his feet propped up on the table as he ate the breakfast today: eggs and a little bacon. A piece of toast was also on the menu, be he had opted to avoid the toast. She sat across from him, and folded her hands on the table "Levi."

He looked up at her, annoyedly "what? Can't you see I'm trying to eat? In peace." When she explained the situation, he looked surprised.

"A traitor? And why are you telling me? I could be the traitor for all you know."

"I know I can trust you, Levi."

"Alright. So what's the plan?"

She explained it to him in great detail, and he listened, quite interested in every word she spoke. His interest peaked when she told him about the other two researchers, the suspects. "How do we know it's them and not a recruit?"

"Recruits don't have access to the specimens and serums we have locked away: no key." He nodded slightly, stumped on the entire situation. He shrugged, puzzled. "Well, we'll find them like we always do."

Mikasa and Eren walked the length of the Northern most wall of the castle, with Mikasa walking a few feet behind Eren.. It had been 20 minutes since the beginning of watch. They had walked in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. Just then, Eren blurted something random out "Mikasa, I'm sorry." His voice was quiet but filled with a shakiness and sincerity she had rarely heard in anyone's apologies. She was taken aback: what was he apologizing for? What was he so sorry about that his voice shook in sorrow as he spoke. She opened her mouth to response, but he beat her to the punch. "I always treat you like shit" he turned and walked backwards, facing her. He continued "you treat me like I'm pure gold, and I throw you to the dirt, and see you as annoying or rude or overprotective. I treat you like dirt, and I continually selfishly put myself in danger, and make you worry sick. But you never leave me. And I just wanted to say: I'm sorry." His cheeks were red with embarrassment, and his eyes were filled with guilt: it looked as if he would start crying any moment. She stopped walking, and so did he. He stuck out his hand, for her to shake, before saying "and I offer you my most sincere of apologies."She grasped his hand, but didn't let go. She pulled their bodies together, and they stood in an embrace for a few minutes, holding each other tight, as if they would never see each other again. Mikasa could feel Eren's heart pound in his chest. She smiled slightly, and closed her eyes as they swayed slightly. Eren rested his chin on her head, and they stood together, almost daring the world to try and separate them. After nearly 5 minutes, Mikasa pulled away with a small smile, but didn't let go of Eren's hand. Together, hand in hand, side by side, they patrolled the wall together. Neither of them said it, but they both thought the exact same thing: 'I love you'. They walked together in silence, before a reflection caught Eren's eye. He looked at it, and Mikasa noticed as well. "Together?" She asked, reaching for her blades. Eren nodded, also pulling his swords out. "Together." And together they were, flying through the air towards the small gleam of metal they saw from the wall.

Jean had no luck going to bed at all: so he instead got up, and walked to the mess hall for a drink: something to wake him up. He got the normal treatment, however: water. All soldiers were issued it, and only officers could get alcohol. He sighed, and downed the water in one, long swig. He threw the plastic bottle out, and began to walk towards the storage closet to see if his mantle had shown up: he'd lost it a few nights prior, but it never turned up. He entered the closet, turning to the left and looking through the stack of mantles. The first one was not his, as the name stitched on the inside indicated: 'Newman, Raymond'. He put it aside, and pulled out the second one: bingo. He folded it and tossed it over his shoulder, putting Newman's jacket on top of the stack before exiting the hall. As he did so, he came face to face with Levi. "Hey Jean" Levi began, even toned and scarily calm "do you know where Connie went?"

"What?"

"Connie. Where is he? He's not in the barracks, or the castle, and I need to speak to him."

"Connie's gone?" Jean asked, startled and taken aback. His face turned pale, the color draining straight from it. He disliked Connie, sure, but not to the extent of kidnap! That was extreme. Levi gazed up at Jean, who was significantly taller than Levi, stone cold and with no emotion. "Yes, Connie's gone."

"You think I did that?"

"You did fight with him yesterday." 'Oh yeah…' Jean remembered the fight, punching Armin and in turn getting in a fight with Connie, who was trying to defend Armin. He shook his head, putting his hand over his eye, when his head began to pound. 'Who would kidnap Connie? Wait…' "How do we know he's not on watch?"

"I saw him come back and beeline to the armory. Then, he exited as Mikasa entered. I saw it as I passed by from my quarters. He had taken off his gear and was in casual attire."

"Levi-I mean Sir, I didn't have anything to do with Connie's disappearance."

"Are you sure?" Levi looked intensely into Jeans eyes, starring into his very soul.

"I'm positive." Levi took a moments silence, then made a "tsk" sound, before responding "alright. But to prove it, you'll be helping with the search: I'll have someone I trust accompany you while you investigate. We need to find Springer ASAP. Get your gear, and check the eastern wall. I'll check the Western wall. I sent two recruits for the South, and a few to the north. We'll find him. If he went AWOL, we'll jail him. If he was kidnapped, we'll save him."

Eren hit the ground first, with Mikasa landing a foot behind him. He walked forward cautiously, his eye on the glinting piece of metal he had seen. He crouched down, dusting the piece off: it was a jagged piece of steel, with no observable source in sight. He examined it, before standing up and extending his open palm for Mikasa to examine it. She picked it up, eyeing it intently, feeling it's jagged and sharp edges, examining the surface of it. It was just a piece of steel. She looked at Eren and shrugged, not knowing what else to do. "It's just a piece of metal. What of it?"

"Where'd it come from? Why's it out here?" Mikasa hesitated. She didn't honestly know. She sighed, admitting defeat. She flat out told Eren she didn't know. As Eren opened his mouth to respond, two figures zipped to the ground behind them. One of them, a young boy, approached Eren and Mikasa, saluted (which cracked up Eren), and said in a firm and loud voice "We have been sent to find Connie Springer. Have you seen him or conversed with him?" He was formal, and was dead serious. Eren quit his chuckling, looking the man in the face, before saying "No. We haven't seen Connie since this morning. He was heading to his bunk in the barracks." Eren responded, nonchalantly. The recruit sighed a stressed sigh, before turning and walking away. He said something to the other recruit, and they both turned, activated their 3DMG and shot past Eren and Mikasa. They were heading northbound, deeper into the forest. Titans lurked past the tree line, so this was clearly a serious situation for them to continue going deeper into the forest. Eren looked at Mikasa, who shrugged it off as if it were normal. She looked in in his eyes, which she saw were full of worry and curiosity at the same time. He turned and watched the recruits continue to zip from tree to tree. Eren and Mikasa decided to leave them to it, and began walking back towards the wall. Mikasa slipped her hand into Eren's, which he held softly as they walked. Once they had returned to the safety of the walls, Eren and Mikasa were informed they were relieved of watch, but not of Connie or the lab-those events were being kept under heavy wraps, with only a select few being aware. Together, Mikasa and Eren walked towards the armory to take off their 3DMG. Then, together, they wandered the castle, eventually finding shade and a solemn place where they could be alone in the courtyard, under a large, old Oak tree. The tree was giant, taller than the 15 meter class Titan Eren could shift into. It's leaves provided a large circle of shade at the base, large enough for at least 5 people, but that was okay: there were only two today. They sat side by side, hands interlocked, together as they slowly drifted to sleep. Mikasa's head rested on Eren's shoulder, and Eren's rested on top of her head. They lay under the tree, fast asleep, inseparable.

Jean and Levi had found nothing to the east or west. Nor had the recruits they sent out. Stumped, Levi decided to sent someone to Pixis and the Military Police chief to inform them of a Connie's disappearance. Jean and Levi remained at base as the two recruits rode off, heading for Wall Sina. Levi returned to his quarters and Jean went to the armory to take off his gear. As he opened his locker, he heard someone clear their throat. He turned, and saw Sasha. She looked at Jean with an upset and worried look in her eyes, and he knew the next question before the words were spoken: "I know Connie's missing: did you find him?" She asked quietly, eyeing Jean with intense emotion in her eyes. He managed to shake his head, unable to speak. He knew she loved him, and that he loved her, and it broke his heart that he had been torn away from her. He had heard rumors he was going to ask her out today, as well, adding insult to injury, as Sasha had no doubt heard the rumors as well. She sat on the bench and buried her face in her hands, fighting back the tears welling in her eyes, ready to seep down at any moment. "Please" she whispered to Jean, in a shaken tone "find him. He's my only friend, the only person I have to turn to. I can't lose him. Find him, please." Jean nodded his head silently, closing his locker and standing up. He left the room, closing the door quietly. As soon as he left he could hear Sasha's sobs faintly through the door. Connie truly was her only friend, the only person she had. It tore Jean at Connie's selfishness- he had to remind himself Connie was kidnapped, not AWOL. At least, he hoped that was the case. He hated to imagine he had abandoned his duties and Sasha for some selfish motivation. He kept walking, his head filled with thoughts-he was so distracted by these thoughts he passed by his original destination-the small, makeshift training area, where recruits could practice fighting 4-5 meter titans, CQC, or even just make repairs to their gear. He instead walked into the courtyard, deep in his train of thought. He blinked, his vision and senses coming back into focus: he saw Eren and Mikasa before he could process where he was or how he got there. He completely forgot everything for a few moments: how long had they been like that? How long had he been so close to her!? As far as he could tell until that moment, they had just been friends! But he had stolen her! He clenched and unclenched his fists, hating Eren more than he had ever before. This was too much. He took a step back, breathing in some fresh air. A large amount, before releasing it all at once. He didn't scream. He didn't cry. In fact, he didn't do much of anything. He just stood there, soaking in the cold, harsh reality that was in front of him. But he wasn't going to lay on his back and take it. No, he would prove he was superior to Eren. Somehow. He devised a scheme in his head, the first to pop into his head was: 'Why not sabotage his 3D maneuver gear? He'll look slow and sluggish compared to the rest of us. No, to obvious. Maybe I can put something in his food or drink that makes him weak, and beat the hell outta him? Not likely. The chances of me picking the right meal are slim to none. Maybe I can falsify a letter or something, making it look like he's seeing someone? Maybe…hmmm…' he scratched his chin as he walked back into the hall, heading past the training hall yet again. He only realized this when he ran into Hange, who was accompanied by two men, one of a short height, maybe 5'8, the other taller at 6'1 at least, both looking somewhat nervous.

Hange fell to the ground as her and Jean collided. Fell lightly, able to stand quickly. It took Jean a second to register what had happened, but he stood none the less. He immediately began apologizing to Hange, who brushed it off with a "yeah yeah it's fine", as she, Ben and Greg all walked towards where Levi had said he last saw Gwen: in the training hall. They entered, and sure enough, saw Gwen, a 5'6, 40 year old with the mental humor of a 17 year old, sitting at a repair bench, her 3DMG in her lap, tuning the machine to make sure it was at it's peak. Her amber colored eyes gazed up at Hange as she approached, and Gwen gave a friendly wave and a "Hello Hange. Fine day, huh?"

"Gwen." Hange said gravely, and Gwen's face fell. All of her compatriots had grim looks on their faces, as if something had gone majorly wrong. Ben and Greg were silent as Hange explained that Connie Springer had vanished into seemingly thin air. Gwen was surprised, and looked to Greg, the 5'8 man, who's eyes were saddened and worrisome, and then to Ben, the 6'1 man whose eyes were full of curiosity, as if he wondered how it was done. How someone had taken a fully trained military man, and kidnapped him. She shrugged it off as a scientists instinct to ask the important questions. Her eyes fall back upon Hange, who was gazing intently at her "Well? When was the last time you saw Connie?"

"Never met the fellow myself. I'm a solemn person, you know that Hange."

"Surely-"

"I hadn't even heard of Springer until just now. Look, I feel bad for the kid, I do, but I can't be of any help. I'm sorry Hange; it simply isn't possible that I can give you information. I'm more at home in a lab, making discoveries and inventions, not searching the wilderness for one single kid." Gwen ran a hand through her once blonde hair, which was now becoming more grey by the day, due to age. She looked at Hange dead in the eye, who slowly took a step forward, opening her mouth to speak: a bell interrupted her.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

The bell cried out three times, signifying…'An emergency? They wouldn't sound the alarm for an AWOL or missing soldier, that was kept under wraps' Gwen thought, stroking her chin 'so what the actual hell are they tolling the bell for?'


End file.
